Police forces across the South East will be working together to intensify their operations to tackle rural crime this week. Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and Thames Valley police forces have set up the South East Partnership Against Rural Crime (SEPARC) to ensure co-operation to make the region a hostile environment for countryside offenders. To launch the new partnership, the forces will be undertaking numerous different operations to target and disrupt wildlife, environmental, heritage and agricultural criminals until Friday 1st March. Rural crime is defined as offences that relate to farms, agriculture, wildlife, the environment and heritage sites, where they are targeted due to their isolation or rural location. Operations include disrupting offenders alongside the National Rural Crime Team, providing security advice at service stations and stopping suspicious vehicles on the strategic road network. Assistant Chief Constable Lucy Hutson, Rural Policing Lead for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, says:
“Rural crime has an enormous impact on those effected, as it often sees local businesses suffer serious financial loss, and can destroy the livelihoods of hardworking farmers. “We are fortunate to have some of the most beautiful parts of the country on our doorstep in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and it’s so important that people can live in, work in and visit our rural spaces without fear of being targeted by criminals. “Our dedicated Country Watch officers work closely with other policing teams across the two counties all year round to tackle seasonal crime trends, provide support to victims, and relentlessly pursue offenders blighting the countryside. “This week of action gives us the opportunity to utilise the skills and expertise of specialist policing teams from our neighbouring forces, to bring the fight to criminals who operate across county borders in the south east.”
This surely means that manpower will yet again be redeployed to crimes against property and away from crimes against the person. So good to see priorities in play…lets wait and see how much personal crimes go up in that period.
Sweet I’ll wait until 2nd march to ride my dirt bike
Crime will be down until 2 of march then
Will the police’s (week of action !! ) be dealing with the criminal excessive fares of the Isle of Wight ferry companies?
Just a tip, as a victim of tool theft a couple of years ago?! Starting an investigation 10 days in after the event doesn’t make you ‘The Police’ look very competent. And, on calling 999 I didn’t expect the call handler to have sarcasm and zero empathy, Rude behaviour!!
and it would of been nice to actually have had a police officer to just show once’s face on the morning of the break in.
public trust in the police is at an all time low.
you have a mountain to climb in my eyes.
I’m just surprised that every week isn’t a ‘week of action’ for the police?
One week!? What about the other 51 weeks?
Those are called weeks of inaction.
This why we need to stop the elderly from driving
Stupid Boy!
I wonder what this “week of action” actually looks like, probably hiding on a rural road, fining farmers for unsecure / overweight loads, then nick some kids messing about on a pit bike, speak to some multimillionaire land owner about leaving keys in vehicles. phew that was a busy week, back to policing Facebook comments until next years week of action.